Easing Nerves For First Year Photos It’s September again, and you know what that means? Thousands of little people are not so little anymore! Whether it’s the 5 and 6-year-olds going to school for the very first time, or little-ones joining nursery or pre-school, there are a lot of proud parents and an awful lot of photos taken in that pristine uniform (before it gets all grimy!) Starting a new school, pre-school or nursery is always exciting, but for the kids it can also be incredibly daunting, and maybe even a little scary. So you might find that when it’s time to line up for those official school photos, some children get a bit nervous. So nervous in fact that some may refuse to have their photo taken! But never fear, you don’t need to worry about explaining why little Timmy  doesn’t have a school photo for his first year to his parents. Just try some of these tricks to ease those nerves and get all of your students excited for their photos...

Explain The Process

A lot of the time kids get nervous because they don’t know what’s happening or why. They’re being told to keep clean, tuck shirts in and brush hair, line up and stay still, all while still navigating this new environment and all of these new people. If that were you, wouldn’t you be a little on edge, wondering what was going on? We know we would! So before it’s time for pictures, take a minute and explain to your class what’s going to happen, and why. Explain why you need them to be dressed nicely, what the photos are for, and what they will be expected to do at each stage. From the time they will need to get ready, who will lead them where to line up, what they need to do just before their turn and having the photo taken. We actually send out a poster for you to display in school so all the children should be ready and excited when the time comes!

Don’t Rush

We know everyone has other places to be and things to do, but trying to rush through a photo day doesn’t help anyone, especially the children. Kids of all ages generally don’t respond very well to being rushed, and it can mean you end up with some very flustered and emotional children that drag the shoot on longer! Our photographers work fast anyway, so we can reserve some extra time for those that  eed us to take things a little slower to build their confidence. Chat to your photographer to understand the timeline of each shoot, and liaise with them about when to bring the next group of children in. When communicating with the children, try not to put on too much pressure, and treat it as an exciting break from the norm – which it is! – and not just another box to be ticked.

Make It A Game

At Smiles At School we’re all about capturing those natural giggles and smiles, and these come best in a relaxed environment. So rather than standing in silence and treating photo day as a sombre affair, why not use it as an opportunity to have fun - especially with the little ones! Let your photographer chat and laugh with the children before you begin, and allow them to ask questions if they want. Make the day a bit more relaxed, help  everyone get to know each other and feel more comfortable. Play some games beforehand – like the Party Freeze game: When the music stops, strike your best photo pose! This will help distract from those nerves and put the children and staff in a good mood, which always means better photos! Just remember that we have to calm them down a bit before they sit for their photo though.

Let Them Entertain You

Some kids love to be the centre of attention. Dancing, showing tricks, or just telling stories – they love it all, especially if there’s an audience watching. So why don’t you become the audience? Sit with the photographer and ask them to show you that cool magic trick, how high they can jump or tell you something special about themselves. This will not only make them feel more comfortable, but it will put them in a happy and trusting mood, making it much easier to draw out a natural smile! This works best in a Nursery environment where the photo shoot is a little more relaxed. 

Have Accessories At The Ready

Working in a school you will know that children show their nerves in a lot of different ways.  Some will go very quiet, others will be loud and boisterous, and some will just not sit still. Prepare for as much of this as you can, and have a basket of tools on hand to help. Fidget toys are always a great option, but so are pens and paper, bubbles or just a few simple toys that they can interact with as they wait and channel some of that nervous energy through. 

The Last Resort

Oh, and one last thing – never ask a child to say ‘cheese’. It’s what every mum and dad does, and will result in a very strained, cheesy smile that looks nothing like the child’s real smile – and that’s the best-case scenario! Leave your photographer to encourage a natural grin the way he or she has been doing for years. 
...And only if that doesn’t work and all else fails… then say cheese! We can’t win them all!

All of the team at Smiles At School love getting goofy behind the camera, and we do everything we can to make sure each child feels comfortable with us so that we can capture the best picture possible. We’ve been known to tell jokes, do dances, play with toys and even pull silly faces just to get that genuine grin to come out. And that’s just for the staff! 

If you want to see for yourself how we go about easing pre-photo nerves, and how we get the most natural smiles, grins and guffaws, just get in touch with us today!